


Second Chances

by ticklishraspberries



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Gen, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 20:31:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20432015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ticklishraspberries/pseuds/ticklishraspberries
Summary: The Hopper-Byers family have been granted plenty of second chances, and they don’t take any of them for granted.





	Second Chances

Joyce had never seen Hopper with Sarah, so she didn’t know what to expect seeing him with El. As a mother herself, she could imagine, but always thought Hopper was much too tough or manly to do the things she did with her own boys

She was sorely mistaken. When it came to El, Hopper had no problem being all the things which Joyce remembered him being when they were teens: playful, fun, and down-right ridiculous.

It warmed her heart to see him brushing her hair, kissing her forehead, and all of the mushy father-daughter stuff he had lost out on, and now been given a second chance with.

“El, stop changing the channels with your powers. It takes three seconds to do it the normal way.”

The super-child in question and Will both looked back at him, smiling innocently.  
Hopper turned back to Joyce, a cigarette between his thumb and forefinger. “I find myself saying stuff to this kid that just sounds insane,” he said, amusement lacing his tone.

“I think that’s every parent though,” Joyce replied. “Although I’m not the best person to ask about normal parenting.”

The two of them laughed quietly, then, the sound of channels switching again drew their eyes upward.

“El, what did I say?”

“To stop changing the channels with my powers,” she repeated simply.

“So, why are you still doing it?”

She giggled, shrugging.

Hopper stood, putting his cigarette out in the ashtray. “That’s it, kid,” he said, walking towards his daughter with a mischievous smirk on his face, one that even rivaled that of a child’s.

El squealed, jumping off the couch. “Hop, don’t!”

Joyce watched them with a grin of her own as Hopper easily scooped El up in his arms, fingers tickling over her stomach, a playful growl leaving his lips as she laughed.

Fondly, Joyce could recall doing the same thing with both of her boys, and Will seemed to remember to, by the way he was smiling at the scene before them.  
Joyce also felt her thoughts being dragged back to when Hopper tickled her in their teenage years, his arms wrapped around her waist as the two of them laughed, a little drunk and a little bit in love, but both unaware of it.

“Hop, no more!” El whined, batting uselessly at him.

“Are you gonna listen to me about the TV?”

“Yes, yes, no more powers!”

“Good,” he said, easily placing her back down on her feet, ruffling her curls as she pouted at him, her cheeks red.

He chuckled fondly, making his way back to the seat across from Joyce.

She reached across the table to hold onto his hand. “You’re a good dad, Hop,” she told him softly, genuinely.

He shook his head, looking at his lap. “I’m just trying my best.”

“Well, I think you’re doing a great job.”

“You’re a damn good mom too.”

It wasn’t long until Will and El began to act like siblings, wrestling over the last chocolate bar and making a mess of the living room while playing pretend.  
And it wasn’t long until a few nights out turned into a romance sparking between Hopper and Joyce, and they slowly started to parent each other’s kids like a married couple.

Then, it wasn’t too long until they were actually married; Jonathan was Hop’s best man, Will a groomsman, and El was Joyce’s bridesmaid. 

A night in the Hopper-Byers household consisted of dinner, movies, and, when the kids were asleep, Hopper wrapping his arms around Joyce’s waist on the couch and tickling her as she tried to keep her giggles quiet.

None of them would change it for the world.


End file.
